Chapter 22
If it weren't for the spiritual contract he made with that old man Ning Guihai, which forbade him from mentioning the Xie family in front of Sheng Ningyu, Yuan Daojun would have already managed to get information out of Sheng Ningyu on his own.
Of course, someone who has cultivated to the level of Yuan Daojun should stay away from these disturbances.
There are some things that ordinary people can say, but he cannot.
Half a step into the mortal world, a single thought can lead to cause and effect.
Today, he has already said too much.
The original path was entirely within the corridor, where the setting sun cast a graceful sway, and he remained motionless for a long time.
How could he not see that Sheng Ningyu was deliberately showing weakness today? But when he thought of the little girl who used to be so unruly and made faces at him in his wife's arms, now that her right hand had been crippled and she had lost her cultivation, and was now learning those things that she used to disdain and show weakness, Yuan Daojun's heart, which was already half a step into the True Immortal realm, still wavered.
Ning Guihai, you old geezer.
Yuan Daojun sighed and muttered to himself, "Was this situation something you expected?"
...
My aunt is gone.
Sheng Ningyu walked alone in the corridor, a hint of bewilderment in her eyes.
Wang Yunniang was neither a young lady from a prestigious family with a long history, nor a powerful righteous fairy; she was just an ordinary person with no special talents or abilities.
Love is just that irrational.
Yuan Daojun fell in love with this farm girl and was willing to make all kinds of elixirs to prolong her life. The farm girl also liked him and was willing to give up everything to follow him.
Wang Yunniang disliked being called "the Lady of the Immortal Lord" and preferred to be called "Auntie". Although she married Yuan Daojun, she was not ashamed of being an ordinary person and was always kind and generous to the younger generation.
Back then, whenever Sheng Ningyu got into trouble, she would use her spiritual power to run swiftly across the seemingly endless corridors of Yunwang Palace, snuggle into her aunt's arms to hide, and cry out in a wronged voice, "Auntie, they're bullying me."
Yunniang immediately slammed her hand on the table: "What are you doing, bullying Xiao Jiuzhong again!"
Yuan Daojun: "Hey! You old woman, have some sense! This girl clearly started it!"
Yunniang: "You old geezer, don't you ever think about how old you are? How dare you argue with a young girl?"
Sheng Ningyu peeked out and made a face.
Yuan Daojun was so angry that he jumped up and down.
No matter how foul-mouthed or ruthless he was, no matter how powerful and influential he was, preventing anyone in the cultivation world from making a move against him, they were completely helpless at this moment.
As Sheng Ningyu strolled along the corridor, she thought to herself, "If my aunt were still here, I wouldn't have been able to say so much today."
Her aunt would definitely push open the door, rush in, and hug her tightly.
What will she ask her?
The setting sun fell on her face, and Sheng Ningyu slowly smiled, but as she smiled, she fell silent again.
When I was young and got into trouble, the corridor always seemed long and endless, but now it's over in just a few steps.
The long corridor remains as it was, and the glow of the sunset is unchanged.
Sheng Ningyu hesitated to take the final step.
She sat in the corridor, surrounded by the usual merriment and noise, now much quieter.
As the last rays of the setting sun appeared, Sheng Ningyu bowed and slowly buried her head in her arms, as if giving a hug.
After a while, she muttered to herself softly.
"Auntie, they're bullying me."
"I can't out-argue them all by myself, what should I do?"
what to do.
Aunt.
……I miss you.
**
The East China Sea is clear after the rain, and the bright moon shines over it.
Chu Jiye always felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.
He put down his chores, took off the ring on his index finger, and listened to the surging waves around him, lost in thought.
This ring was made from the fragments of a letter that the retainer had picked up that day.
Word by word, day by day.
It was as if Sister Ningyu was still by his side.
"Master." Chu Qing entered and saw Chu Jiye lost in thought. He sighed inwardly and went forward to change his wine. "These days, Young Master Chu Le has been diligent in his cultivation and has not slacked off. May I ask, Master, should we release him?"
Chu Jiye snapped out of his daze, gripped the ring, and regained his indifference as the head of the Chu family: "Diligent in cultivation? Such lies are one thing for others to say, but Chu Qing, are you going to use them to deceive me too?"
A smile appeared on Chu Qing's aged face as he presented the notes the steward had kept over the past few days: "Young Master Le is still young, so it's not a bad thing that he's a bit mischievous and playful."
"Master, weren't you the same back then? Now that Qingyi Academy is about to reopen, Young Master Le..."
Before Chu Qing could finish speaking, he saw Chu Jiye tightly gripping the page of the dossier he had handed over, his knuckles turning white, and he hadn't moved it for a long time.
Chu Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately changed his expression. He bowed and cautiously stepped forward, whispering, "Patriarch, Patriarch?"
Chu Jiye suddenly looked up, dropped the file in his hand, and staggered toward the door, his dark blue robes billowing like surging waves.
For the first few steps, he even forgot to use his spiritual power.
"Master!"
Chu Qing watched Chu Jiye's figure disappear, feeling anxious. She took a few steps forward, but then slowed down her spiritual power.
The fact that the head of the family could lose his composure like this must be related to that person.
But the case file he presented today was one he had examined, and it clearly didn't mention anything about it.
A hint of confusion appeared on Chu Qing's aged face. He picked up the dossier from the ground and carefully examined the crumpled page.
[…Young Master Yue ordered the sword cultivators to perform a sword dance amidst the sea of flowers, and after each sword move, a falling flower was caught…]
This was something Chu Qing knew. He had initially thought it was just young Master Chu Le being naive and playing around, but now it seemed there was more to it than met the eye.
sword.
Fallen flowers.
Whenever the patriarch summoned swordsmen, he would have them practice swordsmanship in the flower forest.
Chu Qing suddenly opened his eyes wide.
...
Chu Leben leaned back in a chair under the flowering tree, propping his head up with one hand, watching the group of sword cultivators dance with utter boredom.
"I told you, don't be so deliberate when you swing the sword!"
"And the one on his left, have you really studied swordsmanship? He's so ugly."
Chu Le pointed dismissively, and immediately a shrewd steward stepped forward and shouted, "Why aren't you taking him away? Don't offend our young master's eyes!"
Chu Le chuckled and leaned lazily against the soft couch, but still felt a slight regret in his heart.
When I saw that ugly monster use that move, it was so easy, simple, and effortless. How come so many sword cultivators have been found, but none of them can imitate it?
Just as Chu Le was lost in thought, a deep blue figure descended from the sky, like a thunderbolt stirring up towering waves in the deep sea. The cultivators immediately put down their swords and bowed loudly, saying, "Greetings, Clan Head!"
Chu Le also jumped off his chair and took a few steps forward: "Uncle, what brings you here today..."
Before he could finish speaking, a surge of spiritual energy rushed toward him. Startled, Chu Le leaped up, trying to spin around to dodge, but the spiritual energy seemed to have eyes, catching up with him in less than a breath. Chu Le fell directly from the sky with a muffled "thud".
Everyone present was horrified.
This move, named "Chasing the Moon," is a signature move created by the Chu family head and has never failed him when used to track down defectors.
Chu Le's hands were bound by spiritual power, and he couldn't break free, so he was forced to kneel on the ground. The once high and mighty young master was suddenly embarrassed, feeling both wronged and ashamed. He stared at Chu Jiye with wide eyes, about to accuse him, but was so shocked that he forgot to speak.
His face was deathly pale, yet an unnatural flush rose on his cheeks; his eyes held both extreme fear and a burning flame of excitement.
"Show me."
Chu Le stammered, "What do you want to see?"
"That day, Luo Hua, her swordsmanship." Chu Jiye spoke slowly and deliberately, almost gritting his teeth, "demonstrate it to me."
Chu Le was forced to stand up and stumbled as he drew his sword.
The spiritual power of "Chasing the Moon" firmly bound his limbs. Chu Le was pulled along, like a puppet on a stage, stuttering as he demonstrated the stunning sword strike he had witnessed that day.
What came next?
Chu Le couldn't remember anything, but the spiritual power binding him seemed to have its own consciousness, guiding his movements.
Chu Le looked at the fallen flower on the tip of his sword with delight: "It's not quite as good as that day, but that flower still fell down just like that!"
Upon hearing this, everyone around felt a chill run down their spines and cried out in distress.
Oh dear, Young Master Chu Le, why did you have to say that the swordsmanship you performed under the patronage of the family head was "somewhat inferior" to others? Isn't that just courting death?
Everyone knows that the Chu family is competitive and always strives to be the best and number one in everything.
Everyone below secretly groaned, shrinking back and holding their breath, prepared to be caught in the crossfire. Unexpectedly, this time, Chu Jiye was not angry at all. He just chuckled softly, and then his laughter grew louder and louder until tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
He asked, "Where are the flowers?"
flower?
Fallen petals drift down, carrying a wisp of fragrance, silently.
After a while, Chu Le heard a soft laugh coming from above.
"...that's something she would do."
Although it was just a laugh, it inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.
Chu Qing, who had rushed over, felt bitter upon hearing this. He dared not say anything more and simply stood with his head down behind Chu Jiye.
Chu Jiye didn't care at all that someone was approaching. He squatted down, ignoring the dust swept away by the sword wind as his robes fell into the dirt. He glanced at the fallen flower in Chu Le's palm, and the soft petals exploded in an instant.
Then Chu Jiye smiled again, a smile so innocent and radiant, as if he were still the young master whom everyone had protected back then.
Do you know where she went?
Chu Le had never seen his uncle like this before. He felt like prey being watched by a hawk, and answered tremblingly, "That day, he followed Yunwang Palace, left, left."
Yunwang Palace, the original family of Linghuanwu.
Yes, I heard that the previous leader of the Sword Pavilion, Ning Guihai, had an excellent relationship with the Cloud View Palace.
Chu Jiye was filled with a thousand thoughts. He took a few steps forward, and a sudden surge of blood rose in his throat.
The bloodstains on the ground clearly shocked everyone. It took a while before someone snapped out of their daze and shouted, "The patriarch is vomiting blood! Quickly, find a healer!"
"How could the patriarch be vomiting blood?!"
"Where's the healer? Why isn't he here yet?"
So annoying.
So many sounds.
"Noisy".
With just one sentence, everyone was rendered speechless and their steps were halted, leaving them only able to watch as the patriarch walked forward alone.
He still maintained his usual noble and proud demeanor, but perhaps because he was traveling alone, he appeared somewhat dejected.
Chu Jiye didn't care what others thought.
He was just a little...sad.
We plucked fallen petals with our swords and made merry with them.
This was the trick Ningyu used to coax him back then, but now she didn't give him the flowers.
Chu Jiye covered his lips and coughed heavily again. When he removed the handkerchief, it was stained with blood.
In a daze, Chu Jiye actually laughed out loud.
"Chu Qing."
Chu Jiye casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. When he turned around, his face still held a smile, but his voice was hoarse and sounded like it was being torn apart.
"Send the visiting card to Linghuanwu."
He wanted to see if that person was indeed Sister Ningyu.
He wanted to ask her how she could bear to treat him like that.
...
He will never let her leave again.
A note from the author:
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